Northgate Public Services (NPS), a wholly owned NEC Corporation subsidiary, has today announced the acquisition of APD Communications, a leading software supplier to the emergency services, public safety and control room markets

NPS is the market leader for policing IT solutions in the UK with more than 50% of police forces currently using NPS’ crime, custody and intelligence management system, CONNECT, to manage information on victims and crimes.

APD provides mission critical communications and control solutions used by more than two thirds of UK police forces as well as major transportation hubs and airports, including Gatwick and Dubai international airports and the London Underground.

The potential for these two sets of technologies to be brought together could bring untold benefits to the emergency services and the public.

Ian Blackhurst, executive director of safety and health, Northgate Public Services said: “If data can flow freely from an emergency call in the control room instantly into the hands of a police officer on the street, then response times can be improved dramatically. If that data is then combined with known historical information about the caller or the address, officers will have the potential to determine the threat, risk and harm of each incident and respond exactly as needed, improving the safety of citizens.”

He continues: “This acquisition is a great opportunity for us to expand our offer and will bring substantial value to customers of both APD and NPS. Both companies are very excited about our future together. Our working practices are already very similar so we will be able to start adding value to our solutions straight away.”

NPS sees APD solutions as highly complementary and natural additions to its existing public safety portfolio and customer base. Strategically, the acquisition of APD is consistent with increasing the NPS footprint with a focus on control rooms and public interaction.

Mike Isherwood, managing director of APD, said: “Joining the NPS team enables us to accelerate our strategic plan and achieve our ambitions. The synergy between our products and customers is really exciting. Together, we will be stronger and have the resources and capability to provide innovative solutions that keep our customers at the forefront of digital public safety delivery.”

APD will continue to operate under its current name and its management team and operational staff will remain in place. APD will remain based in Hull, East Yorkshire, and operate as a business unit within NPS’ Safety Division.